Thanksgiving Games Offer NFL
First Chance to Market Itself

Feeling the pinch of a slow economy, declining viewership and even empty seats in its stands, the historically conservative National Football League is doing something unusual: marketing itself.

The thrust of the NFL's long-range efforts will be on display Thursday, when the league for the first time treats its traditional Thanksgiving Day games as a distinct marketing event, complete with its own logo and promotional television spot. A main component of the turkey-day rollout: heavily promoting a new licensed-apparel deal...